Quiz: Howstuffworks

Do You Know Canadian WWII History?

Annette

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About This Quiz

Canada played a major role in WWII and was a tremendous boon to the Allied forces. In this quiz, we'll explore Canada's involvement​ in the war and shed light on the heroism that can never be forgotten.

Which year did Canada enter its first battle?

1941

1950

1928

The Battle of Hong Kong was Canada's entrance into WWII. This took place in 1941.

How many Canadians served in WWII?

100

50,000

More than one million

More than one million Canadians fought in WWII. Many were killed or wounded.

Canadian ________ were sent to Britain to help with the damage from bombing.

Firefighters

Boxers

Cleaning crews

Firefighters from the Corps of Canadian Firefighters were sent to help British firefighters. There was a tremendous amount of damage at that time in Britain from mass bombing.

By war's end, what had Canada gained?

The world's respect

A lot of money

A number of prizes

By the end of the war, Canada had the world's respect. They also had some new-found clout.

How many Canadians lost their lives in WWII?

2

305

45,000

45,000 Canadians lost their lives in WWII. 55,000 were wounded.

What happened to the Royal Canadian Navy during WWII?

It shrunk

It stayed the same

It grew

The Royal Canadian Navy actually grew exponentially. By the end of the war, it was the third largest Allied naval force.

How big was the Canadian Air Force in comparison to other Allied forces?

2nd largest

Largest

4th largest

The Canadian Air Force was the fourth largest in the Allied forces. The Royal Canadian Air Force make a weighty contribution.

How many Aboriginal Canadians volunteered to serve in WWII?

3,000

100

None

Approximately 3,000 Aboriginal Canadians volunteered to serve in WWII. Their contribution to the war will never be forgotten.

How many Canadians were involved with D-Day?

1,000

5,000

30,000

There were about 30,000 Canadians involved in D-Day, with about 14,000 actually landing in Normandy. They were part of Operation Overlord.

How many vessels did the Canadian Navy have by war's end?

10

213

434

Canada had a massive fleet of 434 ships. This included destroyers, cruisers, frigates and auxiliaries.

How many Canadians died in the war camps of Japan?

100

550

1,000

550 Canadians died in the war camps of Japan. This was following the surrender at the Battle of Hong Kong. POWs were not freed until the war ended​.

How many Canadians lost their lives in the Raid on Dieppe?

300

567

907

907 Canadians lost their lives in the Raid on Dieppe. This took place in August 1942, and it was the Allies' first major combined operation.

Which beach was Canada responsible for on D-Day?

Juno

Gold

Omaha

The Canadians were largely responsible for Juno Beach on D-Day.The day was a tremendous triumph for the Allied forces.

What time did news reach Canada that the Germans had surrendered?

9:36 a.m.

Right at noon

9:36 p.m.

It was at 9:36 p.m. that Canada learned that Germany had surrendered. It was a great day of celebration for Canada, and around the world.

Where were there V-E Day riots in Canada?

Vancouver

Halifax

Toronto

The port city of Halifax had thousands of naval personnel on V-E Day and rioting ensued. It was fueled by booze and a great deal of pent-up tension.

Did Canada join the United Nations post-1945​?

No

Yes, but quickly left

Yes. They were welcomed with open arms

Canada gained a lot of respect for their involvement in WWII. They were embraced by the United Nations and have been a member since its founding.

Canada was the first _________ country to send troops to Britain in 1939.

Anglo

Commonwealth

Christian

Canada was the first Commonwealth country to send troops to Britain. This was in the year 1939.

Most Canadian troops were what?

Drafted

Volunteers

Women

Most Canadian troops that enlisted were men between the ages of 18 and 45. Nearly all of them were volunteers.

What percentage of the male Canadian population joined the forces?

10%

20%

40%

A whopping 40% of the Canadian male population enlisted. 630,052 Canadians were in the Active Army, and 25,251 of these were women.

About how many Canadians served in the European Theater?

370,000

670,000

None

Approximately 370,000 men served in the European Theater. In Europe they suffered 75,514 casualties.

How many Canadians were five times wounded?

0

2

All

Can you believe that two guys were wounded five times each? Talk about gluttons for punishment, and talk about bravery.

Did Canada manufacture war materials?

No

Yes, but not much

Yes, a lot

In fact, Canada really helped the war by all the goods that they manufactured. They made goods for themselves, the U.S., Britain and the other Allied countries.

What was the total value of Canadian war production?

0

Unknown

Almost $10 billion

Canada manufactured about $100 billion in today's dollars. They made 800,000 military transport vehicles.

Did Canada build military snowmobiles?

No

Military snowmobiles?

Yes

Canada didn't just make a few military snowmobiles - they made 150 of them! That was done by the Bombardier company.

What was the Dieppe Raid called?

Operation Kamikaze

Operation Kick Butt

Operation Jubilee

Operation Jubilee was the code name for the Dieppe Raid. It involved 6,100 men, 5,000 of which were Canadian.

What was the name of the campaign where Allied forces went ashore in Sicily?

Sicilian Campaign

Spaghetti Campaign

Italian Campaign

The Italian Campaign took place in 1943. It was otherwise known as Operation Husky. The Allies fought for four weeks, defeating the Italians​.

How many Canadians died in Italy?

500

1,000

6,000

6,000 Canadians died in the Italian Campaign. They also suffered more than 26,000 casualties.

How many Canadian women served in WWII?

50,000

25,000

10,000

More than 50,000 women served in various women's organizations. These included the Canadian Women's Army Corps and the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service.

What is V-E Day known as in the Pacific?

V-P Day

V-J Day

V-A Day

V-J Day took place in the Pacific on August 14 and 15, 1945. V-E Day was on May 8, 1945.

By the end of WWII, Canada had the world's _____ largest navy.

5th

3rd

1st

By the end of WWII, Canada had the world's third largest navy. They only followed the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy.

The Canadian sacrifice at ______ taught the Allies a great lesson.

The Dieppe Raid

Hong Kong

Normandy

Although Canada suffered many casualties, the Allies learned from what went wrong at Dieppe. This helped to lead to the success of D-Day.

At the war's start, Canada's military was in what condition?

Strong

Updated

Ill-equipped

Canada's military force was actually ill-equipped at the start of the war. By war's end they were strong, thanks to their volunteers.

Did the Germans come into Canadian waters?

No

Just barely

Yes

Germans most definitely breached Canadian waters. They sank 23 ships in the St. Lawrence River and Gulf.

How many Canadian sailors and merchant seamen died in WWII?

3,000

1,000

None

3,000 Canadian sailors and merchant seamen died in the war. This took place while fighting occurred in the Atlantic Ocean.

When did Allied forces surrender at the Battle of Hong Kong?

At midnight

On a Sunday

On Christmas Day

Allied forces surrendered on Christmas Day. This was when numerous Canadians, British and Indian soldiers became prisoners of war.

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